Janet's Blog

Who doesn't love a cute, cuddly kitten? Kittens are such fun to hold, and to watch, as they explore their surroundings, inevitably getting themselves into some kind of trouble, and getting themselves out of trouble again, just as quickly. I guess that's why people say that cats have nine lives... My local grandkids have been enjoying their excess of kittens all summer. Kittens are nothing new in the Stobel household. Their first two kittens were found, abandoned at the end of their lane, a few years ago and the rest, as they say, is history. Meagan and Andy were pleased to find that their cats were excellent mousers, or perhaps I should say,  volers , because they took care of the burgeoning vole population in record time, after all kinds of traps failed to make a difference in the hundreds of voles that had made their home in the Stobel yard. Since Meagan and Andy prefer cats to voles, the cats are there to stay. And, really, that is the main reason why cats have been domestic...

For several years, as I walked near Scotts Bluff National Monument, I couldn't help but notice a golden, globe-shaped shrub that burst into glorious bloom every September. I wasn't familiar with it, since it doesn't grow in eastern Nebraska, where I grew up, but it lines the fence along the path I walk, and grabs my attention every year about this time. So, last year, I took its picture and let my phone's plant-identifying app put a name to it. Each oddly-named Rubber Rabbitbrush shrub is normally two to six feet tall and two to four feet across. I learned that it grows best in the dry, wide open spaces of the western United States, pollinating and blooming in late summer and early fall. Since Rabbitbrush pollen is a common trigger for allergy sufferers, it might be part of the reason for my fall allergies. Rubber Rabbitbrush is fast growing, reaching maturity in less than four years, and having a 20 year lifespan. It thrives in full sun, tolerates perpetual wind, and i...